Older cat peeing on the floor

I wasn't sure if this belonged in the Behavior section or here. I picked here because there are a few folks in this area who are familiar with my female cat's story. My girl cat - who was ill not too long ago - has recently started peeing on the floor. She seems to have preferred spots to relieve herself, but when those spots are blocked off, she'll just pee somewhere nearby. She's been caught peeing in the kitchen on some shoes and in the bathroom behind a hamper (and when she couldn't get back there, she wet on the mat by the bath tub). She knows full well where her litterbox is and she goes near them all the time (they're in the garage, which is where one of her favorite sleeping spots is too), but she will just find a little cranny to tuck herself in and pee on the floor. I have no idea why because the litter boxes have not been moved, I'm not using a different brand of litter, the boxes are cleaned regularly...there is absolutely nothing different about the boxes. This behavior just started out of nowhere - I thought originally it might have been her being upset about getting shut in the bathroom to eat, but she'll do it at random. Though lately, she will eat her food and then go and pee i the corner in the bathroom. I'm not sure how much she wet in that corner before she was caught either, so I worry now she will associate that spot with acceptable urination (and that the other animals might do the same). Why might a spayed 14-year-old female cat just up and decide to start wetting outside the box? Some reasons I've read and/or been told are: - Bladder infection/UTI - Senility - Upset about something - Too lazy to go to the box - Age-related incontinence She's definitely able to urinate - when she goes, she goes quite a bit. It's not just a little tinkle. She also doesn't have any objections to the litter box because there are times I catch her squatting and ready to pee on the floor, so I take her to the litter box and she'll go in there. Mobility is not an issue because she does plenty of walking and jumping just to get to her favorite spots to nap, so she can easily reach her box. I live with my mother and, unlike me, she is far less patient with cats urinating on the floor. While she hasn't peed on anything porous (like furniture), my mother has no issues booting her across the room, illness or not. Currently, she's confined to the garage, which is not as bad as it sounds - she has her favorite spot to sleep in there, it's nice and warm (a steady 70 degrees), and she has water, dry kibbles (which she will eat if she's too hungry) and litter boxes. But I don't want to have to keep her locked up forever. If the problem continues after the holidays, I will take her to the vet. The vets locally are kind of stupid, but I imagine urine cultures are pretty standard. Still, are there any tests I should specifically ask for? Should I try putting a litter box upstairs (the other ones are downstairs)? I want her to be able to roam in the house, but I also don't want to find her with fractured ribs from my mother kicking her in the side after wetting the floor. Considering this behavior happened literally overnight, I have to assume she's either being a brat or she has an acute issue (like a UTI). Thyroid issues, kidney issues and diabetes were all ruled out when she had blood taken last month. Someone suggested to me that it could just be she's too lazy to go to the box and that there's some kind of medication to help with that? I'm not sure what it would do. She also doesn't seem disoriented at all. Is there anything I can do short-term to help with this behavior until I can take her to the vet?

I agree with the poster above about your mother kicking her - that's absolutely terrible and it isn't helping. You must take her to the vet asap. This happened with a friend's cat and it was a UTI but also stones, and it needed a major op. If your cat has just started doing this and nothing else has changed, there is very likely to be something physically wrong with her. And you can't leave it - imagine if you had a UTI and it was left for weeks? You'd be really unhappy, in pain and generally unwell. Take her today.

Cats do not know how to be brats and what your mother is doing is absolutely unacceptable. She could literally be taken to jail for animal abuse!!

Not that I've gotten that out of my system, if your kitty does not have any litter boxes upstairs, I would put some there. Preferably in the bathroom since it seems she goes there a lot. Remember, she was quite deathly sick not too long ago, and cats don't give away pain very easily, so it might be that she is still in some discomfort during her recovery.
Also all that stress easily could have caused a UTI. If you can get her in before Christmas I would, but if not, before New Years definitely.

I am sorry your cat is sick, and she needs to go to the vet right away. I'm mostly just commenting because I spent 5 minutes with my hand over my mouth in shock and disgust that your mom would kick her! These little furry babies do not comprehend like we do. They need understanding and proper care. Please, take your pet to the vet and tell your mom what she is doing is not okay.

I am so appalled I cannot even stand it! I agree with everyone here and OMG! How can she be so cruel? Animal abuse is right and indeed she could be reported by anyone if they ever saw her doing that. And it is not your cat's fault! She needs a vet, something is going on and did you ever stop to think that she's now got major anxiety from being kicked across the room every time she makes a mistake? How would your mom like it if when she's elderly and she has an accident (as does happen often with some elderly folks), that someone would kick her for it!

I would let your mother know that kicking the cat will NOT teach the cat anything. All she is doing is hurting a sick cat. It could very well be causing the opposite of what your mother wants to happen. She might be continuing to pee on the floor because she is very nervous, due to being hit. Anxiety can cause litter box issues.

Don't wait to take her to the vet. A UTI can get more serious as time goes on. Take her ASAP.

Your kitty is telling you there is something wrong. She is not being a "bad kitty," she is not being a "brat." Peeing or pooping outside the box - whatever the reason - is kitty screaming that something is very wrong in their world. Before anything else, medical reasons must be ruled out. And most medical conditions related to the bladder or urinary tract issues are quite painful. I hope you never suffer a urinary tract problem or kidney stones. And if you ever do, I seriously doubt you'd wait several days (and in many instances even several hours), let alone weeks to see a doctor.

I seriously hope that when you were sick and couldn't make it to the bathroom to throw up, your mom didn't kick you.

Also, the scent of her smell outside of the box will continue to reinforce her behavior. Any place she's peed must be cleaned up properly - to her nose, not yours. Buy a black light, and go through your home in the dark to identify any spots she's peed. They'll be obvious. And here are directions on cleaning: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-remove-cat-urine

BTW - can you keep kitty confined to your room if you can't discuss this issue about kicking your cat with your mom, or your mom won't stop kicking her? Just cover your bed with a tarp when you're not there so you don't have to clean that up if she has a problem.

Thankfully my mother doesn't make a regular habit of smacking or kicking the animals - if she's in a really bad mood when they do something "bad", then she might sort of shove the cats with her foot if she catches them acting up, so "kick" might be too strong of a word. Mom's old boyfriend would actually kick them - in fact, there's still a hole in the wall from when he tried to kick one of my cats once (was sharpening his claws on the floor) and missed. He's no longer living here, which is good. But enough about them - I didn't start the topic to talk about my mother or any of the other humans in the house. I found some extra litter boxes in the garage and I have one upstairs for my kitty now, and she seems to be doing okay so far. I showed her where it was and she went in there on her own a couple times. Meanwhile, all other rooms in the house are closed off (I think she wet under my desk too, which I just found last night). And yes, I have had a UTI myself and I know they aren't fun. But I want to see how she does with the closer litter box...I just don't think I can get her in to the animal clinic before Christmas anyway, but I will be calling and making an appointment as soon as I can for her. From what I can see, she has no issues passing urine - she goes about the same quantity-wise as before, so I don't think she's blocked up, and she doesn't seem to be straining when she goes and there is no blood in her urine. Not that that makes things any less urgent, but if she has to have a bladder infection, I would rather she have one with few symptoms. But I know UTIs can do some bad things if left untreated (in humans as much as kitties), so she'll be going ASAP. Thank you all for your words and for listening. I will update on Kitty's condition.

Boy, my poor cat can't catch a break. I had to reschedule her appointment due to bad weather (she goes in tomorrow morning). Also, I think she is starting to show signs of this lung tumor she has - she seems to be breathing faster than normal (about 55 breaths per minute), but she is not panting at all. If that weren't enough, my mother's dog decided to attack her this morning too. Kitty went to get a drink of water and the dog decided to bite her, and then while she was on the floor, he bit her again. I checked her over for injuries - bleeding, broken bones, teeth marks (especially on the throat). I don't see any external injuries, but she has been totally out of it ever since. She doesn't want to get up much and her appetite isn't where it normally is either. The dog wasn't a large dog - it was a pomma-poo, but my poor kitty screamed quite a bit and had I not intervened when I did, I'm sure he would have gone after her a third time. I'm hoping her current lameness is a temporary response to the trauma from earlier. Similar things happened to my late tabby cat - my younger cats ganged up on him and he did not move for four days. In any case, I'm hoping that the issue with the peeing is just a UTI or something that can be treated without too much hassle. Not that my cat isn't worth a hassle, but I just don't want to put her through more poking and prodding, especially if her floor-peeing is the result of all the vet visits.

I made a topic about it in the Crossing the Bridge section, but my sweet kitty had to leave me today after a sudden decline in her condition. Thank you, everyone, who offered advice and kind words during this time when my kitty was ill.